High-water mark
670.2516
career-best overall
93.1% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 670.2516 at Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival — 93.1% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- Sep 12, 2025
ELBOW GREASE
ELBOW GREASE is a competition barbecue team with 19 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2017 and 2026. Their best overall finish is 10th of 15 at the Big Smoke Bonnyville (2026). They are ranked #6337 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.
At a glance (the record in numbers)
Rating
1401
peak 1401 · rated over 17 contests
Contests
19
in the data
First seen
Jul 7, 2017
latest Sep 11, 2026 · 9.2 years on the trail
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
1
3 podiums
Overall top-10s
2
11% of 19 contests
Avg finish
top 79%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
651.57 ▲
last 5 Master vs avg 640.96 (+10.61)
Walk rate
42%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±23.77
spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 163.19 · weakest Brisket (157.02)
Road miles
3,166
across 19 mapped stops · furthest 487 mi
Schedule strength
29%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1539)
Purse competed for
$5,000
listed at 1 contest — purses, not winnings
Master avg
640.96 / 720
17 Master contests · 0 GCs
Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)
Teams like this (closest power rating)
The teams rated closest to ELBOW GREASE, each with one reason worth a look.
#6,341 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 5%
- Peak
- 1401
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,339 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 1
- Top-10s
- 8%
- Peak
- 1401
Careers of much the same size, 25 contests to 19, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Compare careers#6,338 of the rated field
- Contests
- 39
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 3%
- Peak
- 1502
39 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 3% top-10 finishes rather than wins.
⚔ Compare careers#6,340 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 2%
- Peak
- 1401
Level with ELBOW GREASE on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Compare careers#6,346 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1400
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 19 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Compare careers#6,345 of the rated field
- Contests
- 19
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 11%
- Peak
- 1506
Their last contest in the data was back in 2023, 3 years before ELBOW GREASE's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Compare careersFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle Hill BBQ | 13 | 2 | 11 | 15% | ⚔ compare |
| EFFIN'EH GRAY'S | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| MOTLEY QUE | 11 | 3 | 8 | 27% | ⚔ compare |
| BIGG SMOAK BBQ | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMOKIN' OUTLAWS | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Mc Que It | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10% | ⚔ compare |
| No Measurements BBQ | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| ROKER Q | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Kreiser Barbecue | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| Slam Dunk BBQ | 9 | 2 | 7 | 22% | ⚔ compare |
| KillerbunnyBBQ | 9 | 1 | 8 | 11% | ⚔ compare |
| Hogparts School of Smokecraft and Brew'ery | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| SMELLAQUE | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Q Cartel | 8 | 1 | 7 | 13% | ⚔ compare |
| Brisket Butts | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 177.7028 | 145.1312 | 163.19 | top 70% |
| Pork Ribs | 18 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 170.2860 | 142.2516 | 160.26 | top 76% |
| Pork | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 174.2628 | 141.6800 | 160.50 | top 71% |
| Brisket | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 165.1428 | 131.9660 | 157.02 | top 75% |
“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.
By field size and state
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 7 | 0 | top 85% |
| Medium (20–39) | 10 | 0 | top 75% |
Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 81% | Sep 11, 2026 |
| The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 2) | 2 | 15 | 0 | top 89% | Jul 25, 2026 |
| Small Town Smoke Down | 2 | 11 | 0 | top 60% | May 30, 2026 |
| Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | 2 | 17 | 0 | top 81% | May 23, 2026 |
| Didsbury Lions BBQ | 2 | 25 | 0 | top 85% | Jul 26, 2025 |
More numbers
Busiest season
2026
10 contests
Contests a season
3.8
across 5 seasons in the data
Most contests held in
AB
17 of 19 contests · 2 states and provinces in all
Contests visited
12
5 of them more than once
Opponents faced
127
finished ahead 77 times, behind 297
Longest layoff
3.7 yrs
Sep 26, 2020 → May 25, 2024
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
20263 milestones
- 10th tracked contest Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS)
- First overall top-10 Alberta BBQ Festival
- Most recent contest Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
20252 milestones
- Career-best overall score670.2516 Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
- Career-best single call (Chicken)177.7028 Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival
20241 milestone
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score165.0856 Small Town Smoke Down
20174 milestones
- First tracked contest BBQ on the Elbow at the Calgary Stampede
- First call BBQ on the Elbow at the Calgary Stampede
- First category win (Pork Ribs) BBQ on the Elbow at the Calgary Stampede
- Peak power rating (1491) BBQ on the Elbow at the Calgary Stampede
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +4.7 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival | Sep 4, 2026 |
| +1.2 | Smokey Skies BBQ Competition | Jun 21, 2025 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -13.5 | BBQ on the Bow | Sep 26, 2020 |
| -11.4 | Bean Town BBQ Cookoff | Oct 11, 2025 |
| -9.6 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship | May 25, 2024 |
| -9.6 | Didsbury Lions BBQ | Jul 27, 2024 |
| -9.6 | The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 1) | Jul 24, 2026 |
Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)
Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)
Where they finish (overall)
Best vs average (by meat)
How entries end (by meat)
Season by season
| Season | Contests | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60% | top 80% | 92.5% | 90.4% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25% | top 78% | 93.1% | 90.7% |
| 2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 72% | 91.7% | 89% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 100% | 79.8% | 79.8% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100% | top 83% | 84.9% | 84.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival Leduc, AB | 16 / 17 (654.1828) | 16 (166.2744) | 13 (165.1316) | 16 (157.6684) | 13 (165.1084) |
| Sep 4, 2026 | Barbeque on the Bow Festival Calgary, AB | 18 / 33 (665.6912) | 22 (165.7028) | 23 (165.0972) | 13 (169.7484) | 20 (165.1428) |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Big Smoke Bonnyville Bonnyville, AB | 10 / 15 (663.9772) | 13 (165.1200) | 12 (162.8572) | 5 (172.0116) | 10 (163.9884) |
| Jul 25, 2026 | The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 2) Didsbury, AB | 15 / 18 (646.1600) | 8 (168.5944) | 17 (157.0856) | 11 (162.8000) | 15 (157.6800) |
| Jul 24, 2026 | The Didsbury Double (Didsbury Lions BBQ) (Day 1) Didsbury, AB | 17 / 18 (627.8400) | 18 (155.3600) | 3 (169.1544) | 18 (144.5144) | 11 (158.8112) |
| Jul 3, 2026 | Alberta BBQ Festival Millet, AB | 10 / 11 (651.3832) | 6 (169.7144) | 11 (156.5144) | 7 (168.0344) | 10 (157.1200) |
| May 30, 2026 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 19 / 24 (655.9768) | 22 (162.8228) | 20 (163.4400) | 13 (171.4628) | 16 (158.2512) |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 17 / 23 (642.7660) | 12 (166.8688) | 21 (152.5372) | 9 (174.2628) | 21 (149.0972) |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) Calmar, AB | — | 8 (167.4056) | — | — | — |
| May 23, 2026 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship (ONE MEAT RIBS) Calmar, AB | — | — | 17 (155.9660) | — | — |
| Oct 11, 2025 | Bean Town BBQ Cookoff Bow Island, AB | 15 / 15 (623.2344) | 12 (163.3828) | 15 (152.5144) | 15 (154.2400) | 15 (153.0972) |
| Sep 12, 2025 | Summer Grillin' BBQ Festival Leduc, AB | 11 / 16 (670.2516) | 2 (177.7028) | 15 (160.5372) | 6 (167.4400) | 9 (164.5716) |
| Jul 26, 2025 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 26 / 32 (651.8172) | 30 (157.6456) | 23 (164.5256) | 18 (167.3944) | 19 (162.2516) |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Smokey Skies BBQ Competition Kipling, SK | 17 / 27 (666.8572) | 15 (169.1656) | 11 (170.2860) | 22 (162.8456) | 16 (164.5600) |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Didsbury Lions BBQ Didsbury, AB | 25 / 28 (640.5600) | 17 (165.1888) | 23 (161.6800) | 24 (158.2628) | 25 (155.4284) |
| Jun 8, 2024 | Small Town Smoke Down Bassano, AB | 11 / 27 (165.0856) | 27 (147.3600) | 21 (159.9884) | 25 (157.7372) | 19 (162.2284) |
| May 25, 2024 | Embers and Ice Pitmaster Championship Calmar, AB | 34 / 39 (622.2056) | 36 (158.8112) | 35 (155.4056) | 32 (153.7256) | 29 (154.2632) |
| Sep 26, 2020 | BBQ on the Bow Didsbury, AB | 21 / 21 (574.7772) | 20 (145.1312) | 21 (142.2516) | 21 (141.6800) | 18 (145.7144) |
| Jul 7, 2017 | BBQ on the Elbow at the Calgary Stampede Calgary | 19 / 23 (611.3944) | 8 (165.1084) | 1 (169.7028) | 20 (144.6172) | 20 (131.9660) |